LU Text

LU Text is published by the Press Office on Fridays during term time and aims to keep you regularly informed of the University's news and developments. Editor, Vicky Tyrrell. To view previous editions see LU Text Archive.

| 26 March 2010 | Issue 473

Greetings to our Jewish readers who celebrate Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) on March 30th. One of the most important religious festivals in the Jewish calendar, it commemorates the liberation of the Children of Israel who were led out of Egypt by Moses.

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Due to the Easter break there will be no edition of LU Text on Friday 2nd and Friday 9th April 2010. Happy Easter to all.

NEWS

Ideas Festival 2010

Showcasing the latest research from Lancaster University.
Thursday 29th April 2010, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Featuring presentations by recently appointed Professors, the Ideas Festival will be a whistle-stop tour of some of the latest ideas and research at Lancaster. It will give an insight into the vision and expertise across the disciplines of arts, the social sciences, science and technology, health, medicine, management and leadership, which has earned Lancaster University an international reputation for research quality.
For more details and to view the programme, please visit www.lancs.ac.uk/ideasfestival/.

Akta Patel

26 staff and students from Pendle College, DELC and Philosophy attended student Akta Patel’s funeral in London on Friday 19th March.
Akta, a second year student studying for a BA Honours in French Studies and Philosophy in DELC, died on 10th March following a traffic accident.
Other students, including Akta’s housemates, travelled with Anglican chaplain, the Rev Kevin Huggett, to attend a private ceremony at the family home earlier in the day.
Large numbers of people attended the ceremony, with many standing. After the priest had spoken from the scriptures in Sanskrit, and then in Gujarati, there were moving speeches from members of the family and school friends, given in English out of consideration for the many English speakers present. From Lancaster the Principal of Pendle College Peter Scullion, DELC student and Akta’s friend Johnny Marshall, and the Rev Huggett spoke.
Following the ceremony, the family welcomed everyone to their home. Those who attended report that Akta’s family are very grateful for the support and tributes they have received from Lancaster. Akta’s family donated many of her organs to save the lives of others.

New employment procedures

Council on the 19th March approved the revision of the University’s statute 20. Once approved by the Privy Council, this will allow a new set of employment policies to be used. The new employment procedures which cover grievance, disciplinary, capability, redundancy, redeployment and fixed term contracts , are currently in draft form and subject to negotiations with the trade unions. They can be viewed at www.lancs.ac.uk/hr/hr-strategy/hrprocedures.
This allows the University to have a single, fairer set of procedures for all staff which are in line with modern employment legislation with the emphasis on quick and informal resolution of issues rather than rapidly invoking cumbersome formal procedures.
The existing employment procedures for the different groups of staff will be used until the revision of Statute 20 is accepted by the Privy Council.

£1.7m Public Health Observatory

Lancaster’s Centre for Disability Research in the School of Health and Medicine(SHM), together with the North East Public Health Observatory, has been commissioned by the Government to set up a Public Health Observatory for people with learning disabilities.
The £1.7 million project will provide an authoritative national hub for information about the health of people with learning disabilities and the services they use. The Observatory, which will run for three years, will also work closely with people with learning disabilities, family members, professionals and policy-makers to improve the use of this information in local and national decision-making.

Large Campus Tour and Drop-in Session

Almost 800 guests are expected on campus on Wednesday 14 April for the Campus Tour and departmental ‘drop-in’ sessions. The programme runs from 12 noon in the Great Hall followed by a campus tour at 2pm and a departmental talk at 3pm. As this event is out of term time, drivers are being directed to Alexandra Park from where a minibus service will operate to Bowland Avenue South between 11am and 1pm and back to Alexandra Park between 3.30pm and 5pm. The visitors will be applicants for 2010 and prospective applicants for 2011 entry. Please give them a warm welcome and help them navigate their way around campus where necessary.

Waterside building newsletter

The latest version of the Waterside newsletter is now available on the Facilities Projects website with an update and photos of the building progress. The new landscaping of George Fox Square is almost complete and the paths opened last week.

LICA building update

The timber frame for the new LICA building will start to be delivered over the next few weeks (avoiding peak times where possible). For more information on the timber frame and the building visit the Facilities Projects website.

Register your support for the wind turbine project

Lancaster University is planning to significantly reduce its carbon footprint with the installation of two wind turbines. The University would be the first in England to install two 2.1MW wind turbines, which would produce approximately one third of the University's power requirements, equivalent to the residential power needs of all students on campus.
The University has completed its community consultations and the planning application was submitted to Lancaster City Council on Friday 15th January 2010. The formal planning process has begun and a decision on the application will be announced at the end of April.
If you would like to help support the University’s planning application please submit your comments to the City Council by following the link.
More information about the Wind Turbine Project is available on the website.

New paintings celebrate Lancaster University

LUMS has commissioned two paintings by local artist Chas Jacobs to reflect student impressions of the Lancaster University campus and of Lancaster itself.
Prints of the ‘Lancaster University Campus’ painting are currently available to purchase from LUMS Reception, or by contacting Libby Packham in LUMS External Relations l.packham@lancaster.ac.uk.

Parking Reminders

Please remember that all parking regulations and parking enforcement on campus continue as normal during University vacation periods.

Staffs are reminded not to park on local public highways surrounding the campus, such as Chapel Lane. This is in the interest of road safety and local residents.

Easter Break Electricity Shutdowns

In order to carry out some essential electrical safety maintenance the Facilities Infrastructure team need to shutdown the electricity to parts on the campus over the Easter break. Click here for more information and maps of the affected areas.

Lancaster in the news

Lancaster in the news - The Press Office monitors all media coverage and this is a selection of stories from the past week, including Dr Marion Walker on BBC Radio Gloucestershire and Professor David Denver on BBC One.

Joan Machell

We regret to report the death of Dr Joan Lyness Machell who worked in the Department of Educational Research. Joan and her husband Steven were both killed in a car accident in Scotland on Saturday morning of the 20th of March. The following tribute to Joan has been written by her friend and colleague Professor Murray Saunders. The funeral will be held on Tuesday 6th April, 11:00am,
Lancaster & Morecambe Crematorium.

“I am sure that everyone who knew Joan and Steven will share the feelings of loss and shock at this terrible news.
Joan had worked in the Centre for the Study for Education (CSET) in the Department of Educational Research for nearly 30 years and was one of its founding members. Her work as an evaluative researcher was mainly in the area of Higher Education Policy, although, as an experienced evaluator, she had worked on other areas of social policy, including programmes in schools and early years. During her career here at the University she also played a full part in teaching at all levels and as senior college tutor in Cartmel College. Her recent and ongoing work on the evaluation of the Quality Enhancement Framework in Scottish Higher Education and the evaluation of the Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning programme in England, Wales and Ireland was undertaken with consummate professionalism and had an important impact on both policies. She was held in very high regard by all those who worked with her from the Scottish University sector.
For all of us across the University who knew Joan, particularly in CSET and the Department of Educational Research, she had been a wonderful friend and a vibrant colleague for many years. We will all have our own memories of Joan and what it was like to work with her, and of the warm and loving support she received from her husband Steven. Working with her was always a pleasure. She was fantastic at her job, she was great fun and had a wicked sense of humour. Most of all, she had the capacity to see the positive in almost all, even the most unlikely, circumstances.
Those of us lucky enough to work with her regularly will have experienced her daily acts of kindness and joined in her enthusiasms. Joan will be hugely missed by all her friends and her colleagues, both past and present. Everyone will have a sense of the privilege it has been to know and work with her and we pass our most sincere condolences to Joan and Steven’s family.”

Murray Saunders.

People

Malcolm Ellacott, the University’s Superintendent of Lodgings, died on Saturday 20 March, aged 87. His funeral is at 2pm. on Monday 29 March at Singleton Parish Church, followed by cremation at Carleton Crematorium at 3pm. Malcolm joined the University on 1 March 1964 and bore the responsibility both of finding suitable lodgings in Morecambe and Lancaster, and of managing the relationship between landlords and students before there was any residential accommodation at Bailrigg. In addition, he was willing to help staff new to Lancaster to find somewhere to rent. He continued his work with lodgings during the years of building the first eight colleges, often enabling students to move into newly completed accommodation as it became ready midway through successive academic years. He managed these activities with consistent good humour, and laid the foundations of the strong relationship between local landlords and the University that has continued with the LUSU Housing Office.

Dr Graham Mort (Department of English & Creative Writing) has been appointed as a member of the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s (AHRC) Peer Review College. Dr. Mort will be an Academic and Knowledge Transfer reviewer for 4 1/2 years from 1 June 2010 to 31 December 2014, and will review proposals and final reports to AHRC’s various funding schemes and programmes.

The Richardson Institute and the Department of Politics and International Relations are hosting a visit by the Iraqi scholar Thamer al Sudani.
Mr al Sudani is visiting as part of the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics (CARA)/UNESCO fellowship scheme. The scheme was established to allow Iraqi academics to undertake a three month fellowship at a UK university. Mr al Sudani has worked for the Independent High Electoral Commission in Iraq since 2004 and last week assisted the out-of-country voting in Manchester. His main field of academic research is Arab literature and he is a published poet.

Professor Bart Lambrech (LUMS) has been appointed a member of the Peer Review College of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). He will be an academic reviewer for a 2 year (renewable) term starting from 1 July 2010 and will review proposals and final reports to the ESRC’s various funding schemes and programmes.

Facilities beat Sport Relief target

Congratulations to everyone who ran the Facilities Sport Relief mile around the campus on Friday and a big thank you to everyone that donated money. The target of £1000 for sport Relief has been reached with donations still coming in.

Colin Carruthers, North Campus Academic Support Porter,
would like to thank everyone for their gifts cards and good wishes on his retirement, also thanks to all those who attended his farewell party in Bowland Bar on the 22nd March.

Notices

WWF World Earth Hour

On Saturday 27 March 2010 at 8.30pm, people, businesses and iconic buildings around the world will switch off their lights for an hour - WWF's Earth Hour.
Lancaster University is encouraging you to take part by switching off your lights if you are on campus between 8.30pm and 9.30pm this Saturday to show we care about climate change.
Climate change is one of the most serious threats facing people and nature, and demands urgent global action. Unless we prevent average temperatures rising 2°C above pre-industrial levels, we face a high risk of severe and irreversible changes in the planet’s natural systems.
WWF works to create solutions to the most serious environmental problems facing our planet, so that people and nature can thrive.
A poster is attached for you to raise awareness of the Switch off and for more information visit.

Rising fuel prices

Many will have noticed that the cost of petrol and diesel have been increasing again lately. The average price at the pumps is now over 117p/litre. You can reduce your fuel costs by using your vehicle less and by car sharing to share the cost of the fuel. Information on car sharing and the University’s initiatives to help support car sharing can be found on the Facilities Travel website.

Easter Stagecoach Bus Services – Good Friday and Easter Monday

Customers are advised that a SUNDAY service will operate on all Stagecoach services in Lancashire and Cumbria, during Good Friday 2nd April and Easter Monday 5th April.
A normal Saturday service will operate on Easter Saturday 3rd April, and a normal Sunday service will operate on Easter Sunday 4th April.

Easter opening times for College Bars and Cafes

On Monday 29th March until Thursday 1st April the disabled parking bays at the front of the Management School will be closed. This is to allow for the existing bollards to be relocated to restrict the current access vehicles driving across the paved area at the front of the Management School. The existing access has caused a number of issues which this project will help to address.
For further information please contact Ian Sturzaker Landscape Manager Facilities 01254 593004.

Children needed for psychology research

Children have been helping psychologists at Lancaster University do research which may ultimately help people suffering from conditions including stroke, epilepsy or mental illness. Up to 50 young volunteers aged from 7 to 17 are needed for the first ever study of its kind into what happens when we look at different facial expressions. The volunteers’ eye movements are tracked, giving insights into how the brain processes information. Among the first volunteers were nine year old Rosie Mills and seven year old Hamish Mills from Bowerham Primary School. They came into the Centre for Research in Human Development where they looked at video images of 240 facial expressions including happiness, sadness and fear while their eye movements were filmed.

The study will take no more than one and a half hours and participants will be paid £5 plus travel expenses and tea and biscuits. Results will be completely confidential. For more information contact researcher Judith Lunn on 01524 593127. ›To view full story

Assistant Dean post

Pendle College would like to invite applications for the post of Assistant Dean for 2010/11.
You will work as part of a team of Assistant Deans. The post involves conducting rounds, investigating incidents, attending hearings and reporting to the Dean. You must be willing to work occasional unsociable hours and it should be noted that training is provided in September and any successful applicant will be expected to attend the training.
The successful applicant would be expected to be resident in Pendle College and the post attracts a rent subsidy.
Detailed information regarding the post may be obtained from the College Administrator, Jill Harpley.
The closing date for applications is 5pm, Monday 19th April 2010. CV, application and covering letter should be sent to Jill Harpley in the Pendle College Office. Interviews will take place on Thursday 29th April 2010.

Charity Fun Run and ‘It’s a Knock out challenge’

The student union would like to invite all staff members, friend and colleagues to take part in two fantastic charity events that will be happening on Sunday 2nd May in conjunction with the Roses sporting tournament, which will be hosted by Lancaster this year. The sponsorship money raised will be going to Cancer Care.
The first event is a Fun Run in University grounds over three separate distances 10K, 5K and for those with young families or less interested in running, a 1.5k stroll. The tracks have been marked out using the GPS to ensure accuracy if you are interested in posting a competitive time.
The second event promises to be great fun, the spectacular ‘It’s a knock out challenge’. The event based on the popular television show requires teams of 6 -10 people to compete in a variety of mental and physical challenges across huge inflatable and madcap games all overseen by a highly experienced team of professional entertainers. This would be an event for a department or a group of friends to participate in.
For more information or an application form please contact James Perrin j.perrin@lancs.ac.uk or phone (5) 92266.

County South

Phase 2 of the refurbishment of County South is now complete. There will be a number of temporary power interruptions / shut downs in County South and IAS buildings for two days (6th and 7th April 2010) to make final connections in advance of County South phase 2 occupation.

The water supply to County South Phase 1 will be chlorinated on 8th and 9th of April 2010 in advance of phase 2 occupation. Please do not use the water for drinking in this period.

Little Book of Sustainable Living

The Little Book of Sustainable Living is jam-packed with positive and easy steps to encourage a more sustainable way of living and help reduce the human impact on our planet. Use this link to find out more and to download your free copy.

IT User Forum Podcast

Those unable to get along to the last IT User Forum can view the event from the link below. Topics include security, Exchange 2010, video conferencing and green IT.
There is a call for contributions for the next Open IT Forum on 15th June 2010 (3pm in LUMS LT8)
Video presentation link.

ISS Services Moving To New Building

The following ISS Services will be moved to the ISS Building on Saturday 27th March 2010:

JANET Connectivity - campus users will be unaffected, but Chancellor's Wharf and Cable Street Residence users will be without all network connectivity between 9am until 5pm.

Sharepoint - access to all public-facing Sharepoint websites, RSS services, Central Faculty, Department and personal SharePoint sites - will be unavailable for up to 24 hours.

Performance and Development Review

The online staff survey on how Performance and Development Review (PDR) has been operating is underway. The information gathered will help HR to assess its impact so far, and will also help to improve the scheme where necessary. The questionnaire is short and can be completed quickly. Individuals are not asked to give their name or department so that anonymity can be preserved. The survey is open until 31st March. To access it, click on the link and follow the instructions.

WHAT'S ON

For a full list of all items submitted for What's On, please see Events.

Centre for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching - CAP Module 2

Applications are invited for the Certificate in Academic Practice module 2 course, Curriculum Design and Development, which will be commencing on 11th May 2010. Further details, session dates, and the application form can be found on the CELT website at: www.lancs.ac.uk/celt/celtweb/certificate_for_staff.
This course is designed to address the needs of HE teaching staff with three or more years experience, or those who have completed CAP module 1 (Developing Higher Education Practice). The course carries 30 M level credits and can form 50% of the PG Certificate in Academic Practice. Staff with three years university teaching experience and engagement with professional development can make a case for exemption from module 1, thereby enabling an accelerated route to module 2. Enquiries may be addressed to professionalprogrammes@lancaster.ac.uk.

ADVERTS

Contact Victoria Tyrrell on (01524) 594120 with items for LU text, LU News or for external publicity.
Events information should be sent to Laura Mitchell (01524) 592103.

LU text is usually published on Fridays. On occasion it is necessary to delay publication until the following week. ITEMS FOR INCLUSION SHOULD BE EMAILED TO THE EDITOR BY 12PM THURSDAY BEFORE PUBLICATION. Adverts are limited to University members and we are unable to check incorrect contact numbers or email addresses. All attempts will be made to include adverts sent via email, but no guarantee is made.
The editor reserves the right to edit copy. The opinions expressed in this bulletin are not necessarily those of the university management.